“…You Have a Lot of Meetings…”

By Jennifer Luce Hinesman

I go to work everyday with a happy heart. This is probably the cheesiest sentence ever, but it is sincere. I have found a work/life balance as a Designer at Meadowlark that is rare. I have time with my children — which my heart needs — and I have the creative outlet that my brain craves. In short, I have very little “mom guilt”, which is a gift. While in the morning crush of family activities, I rarely have time to reflect on my kids perspective on where “mommy” goes everyday. Finally, I decided to ask my 7-year old: Q: What does a designer do/What is your mom’s job? A: To draw houses….and measure…and to build houses for people. And…you have a lot of meetings. Q: What is something cool your mom does at work? A: You draw houses…it’s cool because they look really good. Oh, and you work hard. I like that you have candy canes in your office and gum…and I like that you have a big computer. I also like that you have so many nice people at your work and the place where you work looks like a house. Q: Do you want to be a designer when you grow up? A: Yes, because I like to draw and it’s really fun. Q: What goes into building a house? A: Bathrooms, Kitchen, Bedrooms…and if you can, a slide. You build a house with construction stuff: you need someone to draw the house and you need someone to build it and you need some materials, which is a black thing (roof), a white cover (drywall), nails, concrete, bricks…maybe…and that’s it. Q: What would be in your dream house? A: I think it would be a big house next to your house with a little trail that leads to your house. I need a Kitchen, Bedrooms, and a table…and a big Living Room where I could put all the toys. A slide, too. There will also be a flower garden and a vegetable garden and all of my kids would have a garden of their own — but I would have the biggest garden. Q: What is the best paint color for a wall? A: White and red She really has distilled what it means to work at Meadowlark: a lot of hard work, inspiring colleagues, and great homeowners. And, of course, gum.